film reviews and commentary

This movie is nothing like the trailer. Sutter is a functioning alcoholic at 18 and comes to realize that he is his own worst enemy. Aimee didn’t become more like Sutter and lose herself…I think they became like each other in small ways. She needed to let loose, and he needed to see past the present and realize that planning for a future isn’t such a bad thing. Go see it.

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I will be the first to admit that I may be a little biased toward Sofia Coppola films. There is just something about them that I absolutely love. The Bling Ring is very much like Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers. These films both attempt to shed light on today’s teenage obsession with status, material things, and having a good time no matter what the cost. The Bling Ring is based on actual events that occurred in the Hollywood Hills just a few years ago. A group of fame obsessed teens broke into the houses of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, and many others. In some cases, Paris Hilton’s notably, the teens simply found a key under the mat and waltzed in like they owned the place. Hilton’s home was hit 5 times, which leads me to believe she didn’t even notice things were missing at first because she has so much.

The role of Nicki, who is clearly a representation of the real life Alexis Neiers, was played excellently by Emma Watson. Her family is given the most screen time of the bunch mostly because it is so bizarre. “Girls, time for your Adderall!” is their wake up call every morning from their mother and home school teacher (the always lovely Leslie Mann). They are being taught based on the book The Secret and spend only a few hours a day learning about how to be their best selves. At one point this includes talking about what they admire most about Angelina Jolie.

I think if anyone was wondering why these teens decided to start robbing celebrities I honestly think the only answer is because they could. As I mentioned many of the homes lacked security systems and were left unlocked. I am not on their side by a long shot but it is hard to feel bad for someone like Paris Hilton who has a pet monkey, a nightclub room, and pillows with her face on them. We should feel disgusted by these teens obsession with status but we have to look at where they learned it. Celebrity obsession is far from a new concept. Imagine Beatlemania with Social Media? Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all about how many followers or friends you have. Your Facebook timeline is basically a tabloid mag of you and your friends. You can edit and filter everything you want out and only show other people your shiny happy life. This is what these kids were doing. They posted pictures and bragged about their escapades to friends and eventually that is what led to their arrests.

I think some of best lines in the film come in the last 10 minutes to really drive the point home. Vanity Fair magazine is interviewing the kids individually and it appears the only one who learned anything is Marc who admits he thinks they “just wanted to be part of the lifestyle. The lifestyle that everybody kinda wants.” He is, however, happy to announce that he received 800 friend requests on Facebook as a result of the arrest and he accepted them all. He is also sad to discover that his best friend and partner in crime removed him as a friend. To these kids that is the worst thing in the world and jail time is just a slap on the wrist. Nicki appears to want to use this time in the spotlight to become a celebrity herself, even mentioning that you can visit her website: nickimooreforever.com.

The film is also great because it is 90 mins. I don’t remember the last time I went to a theater and wasn’t bombarded with over 2 hours of visual effects and explosions so The Bling Ring was a nice break from all of that. If you loved Spring Breakers you will probably like this film for the same reasons.

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“What am I going to do?” I sat dumbfounded in my car a little over a month ago repeating that question to myself over and over. I drove home with tears streaming down my face in that pathetic romantic comedy way. I got let go from my job, I needed to find a new place to live, my roommate and last college friend was moving away, and a plethora of things all happened at once. I felt like everything in my life was up in the air and I was completely out of control of every situation.

I realize that things could have been much worse. I wasn’t diagnosed with a disease. No one died. I wasn’t going to be unemployed forever. I wasn’t going to become some friendless hermit. I knew all of those things and yet in that moment over a month ago I felt completely gutted.

It’s easy in that moment to sit and dwell on how quickly everything fell apart. You slowly acknowledge that you should have seen it coming and you feel like an idiot for being blindsided. I think that was an important part of rebuilding all those things that fell apart. I could finally see where I was wrong. I could see things I had ignored to protect my pride and ego. After a few days I started to rebuild.

Job. That was the most important thing I needed to find. I didn’t start sending out my resume blindly because that doesn’t work. I started with my connections and letting everyone I know that I needed a job. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who reached out to me and who were willing to help me. People I barely knew were emailing me or sending me Facebook messages with jobs or companies to check out. A connection is what eventually led to a phone interview for a job that was EXACTLY what I wanted. It’s connections that get you the job. I start in 9 days. I can’t wait to help others in the future.

Place to live. I asked around and found a great place. It’s safe, inexpensive, and perfect for me. I move in 21 days. Turns out my job is only going to be a mile away.

Relationships. I learned a valuable lesson over the past year. Telling someone how you feel is the best thing you can do for yourself and other people. I am not only referring to romantic relationships. I mean friendships too. Tell people when you are hurt, tell people when you need them, and tell them you care. Maybe I over do it now, but I tell people all the time how much they mean to me.

I feel like people always talk about how quickly things fall apart but forget to tell everyone when they fall back into place. My chips were all in the air and so far I have liked where they have landed. A few people were extra awesome and I want to mention them:

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This list is a bit shorter than my 1st list. I am going to try and watch this list by December 31st, 2013! I only need to watch The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and list number 1 is DONE! (3 months early I might add)

It’s a classic interview question. I remember standing in a line with a bunch of other college students trying to get a job at American Eagle one summer. After the current employees told us how important it was to be outgoing, half of the interview candidates said their greatest weakness was being shy. I watched the manager roll her eyes each time the word shy was uttered. Those of us who didn’t say shy ended up with the jobs. It’s an important question. Knowing what you aren’t good at is just as important as knowing what you are good at. It may have taken me 25 years but I have finally figured out what my greatest weakness is: I don’t like looking like I have a weakness. Let me be clear, I know I have weaknesses, I just don’t want you to see them.

This blog post would turn into a novel if you really wanted to know the “why” on that problem so let me just get to the part where I talk about how I am working toward fixing it. So let’s imagine this is like AA only for people with vulnerability issues. I have just walked up to the podium and….

Hi, my name is Kelly Millspaugh and I hate vulnerability. I hate feeling vulnerable. I want to always be in control. I never want to look like I need help or that I am weak. I have a paralyzing fear of being “needy” or “clingy” and as a result I keep people from getting close to me. To avoid being needy I never ask for help. To avoid being clingy I push people away. This has negatively effected my work and my relationships.

I usually see it coming and yet I continue to let it happen. Someone starts to get too close so I stop telling them the truth. I may start to talk about having a hard time but I do so with a tone that suggests I am joking. “Don’t I look like I am fine?” The problem is I do look like I am fine. I walk around with my head held high and a voice dripping with sarcasm and everyone believes I am fine. Even I believe it for a while. At work it becomes a bigger issue because I never ask for help. I think if I am given a task I should find the answers, asking for help means I am incompetent and you will avoid giving me projects in the future or worse fire me on the spot. Sound irrational? That’s because it is. If I ask my boss to clarify something, or if I am on the right path, that isn’t going to disappoint them. What will disappoint them is if I deliver something that is no where near what they wanted. So how am I actively working on this while I am in between jobs? Well practice makes perfect they say so I am working on this in my relationships.

I am letting people I care about know when I am having a bad day. I ask them for help and advice when I would usually just disappear for a day and keep it all in my own head. In short, I am letting people be there for me for the first time in…well…ever. It’s not easy for me to even write this post. I am telling everyone, even potential employers, about something that is very personal, but something that effects everything I do. I think the most important thing is that I am finally acknowledging that this is a problem and I want to change. I want to be more open and more collaborative. I love supporting other people and I rob them of the opportunity to return the favor by shutting them out. I know that change takes time and this isn’t going to happen overnight, but I feel like I am finally stepping out of a long dark tunnel and into a much brighter future.

On an even happier note: I found a place downtown! Hey (clearly old picture of my) future home!

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No, this isn’t a post about movies, sorry if you are disappointed. If you find yourself not disappointed continue reading.

I noticed a trend when I first started my post grad life near Indy. People loved to say goodbye. They wrote blog posts saying a fond farewell to a city they outgrew. They thanked friends and family and talked about how much they loved Indy but they ultimately admit that they were always looking for greener pastures. That is why I am writing this, this is my Hello to Indianapolis.

When I first started my job hunt post college I wanted out. I wanted out of Indiana and I had no real good reason for it. Call it group think but I just found myself searching far and wide for a better place to be. Eventually I realized it just wasn’t in the cards for me because maybe there wasn’t anything “better” about Nashville, LA, or Chicago. I ended up getting a job at a fantastic company in Indy and I moved to Fishers. I guess I could have called this a “Goodbye, Fishers” post but we don’t need to focus on that. I am ready to be IN Indianapolis. Not in the burbs, but in the city. I grew up in Anderson and going downtown to Market Square Arena for Pacers’ games was like going to Disney World world for me. It’s not just nostalgia that is calling me to become a downtown dweller but the improvements made in downtown Indy in the past decade are amazing. The community is alive and well and people are starting to take pride in their neighborhoods and neighbors. Why wouldn’t I want to be a part of all of that?

So where do you come in? Well I am looking for a new job and a new place to live.

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Blade Runner
City of God
Empire of the Sun
The Usual Suspects
Night of the Living Dead
Requiem for a Dream
The Machinist
Vertigo
Full Metal Jacket
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Gone With The Wind
North by Northwest
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Birds
Platoon
Reservoir Dogs
Scarface
Goodfellas
Annie Hall
The Departed
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather
Apocalypse Now
Let the Right One In
Nosferatu
The Silence of the Lambs
Casablanca
Blue Velvet
12 Angry Men
Amelie
American Beauty
Citizen Kane
There Will Be Blood
No Country for Old Men
The Last Picture Show
Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Double Indemnity
The Big Lebowski
Clerks

By the end of this week I will have seen all the films on this list. That means list number 2 is being created and I would love help or suggestions from movie fans. Here is list number 2 so far: